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Setting up a communication connection using an embedded unique communication identifierRelated Patent Categories: Data Processing: Database And File Management Or Data Structures, Database Or File AccessingSetting up a communication connection using an embedded unique communication identifier description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070073632, Setting up a communication connection using an embedded unique communication identifier. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] The invention relates to a system to be used for setting up a communication connection between a number of communication devices across a communication network. The invention also relates to a method of setting up a communication connection between communication devices across a communication network. Finally, the invention relates to a computer readable medium comprising an algorithm for setting up a communication connection between communication devices across a communication network. [0002] When devices communicate across a communication network such as the Internet or Ethernet, it is necessary that each device on a specific communication network has a unique identification. When establishing a communication connection such as e.g. a point-to-point connection between a first and a second device on a communication network, it is necessary that the first device is identified for the second device and the second device is identified for the first device. A standard method of performing this identification is typically that a user identifies e.g. the second device to the first device by entering some kind of unique identification. By using the unique ID, the first device is then capable of transmitting its own unique ID to the second device, whereby both devices know the ID of the other device resulting in a point-to-point communication connection being established. [0003] A more general example is described in the following where a communication system is composed of a Local Area Network (LAN), to which a number of devices are connected. The devices could either be connected via wires using e.g, Ethernet or they could be connected wireless using e.g. IEEE 802.11. One of the devices could e.g. be a DVD player, which will be referred to as the source device and the second device could be a TV-set, which will be referred to as the sink device. [0004] It could be of interest for a user to play his DVD disk, inserted in the source device, onto the sink device by communicating between the devices using the LAN network. All devices on the LAN network are equipped with a LAN interface and with suitable means in hardware and software to send information to and receive information from each other across the network. [0005] On the LAN, a unique ID identifies the source device and another unique ID identifies the sink device. Furthermore, the source device is equipped with additional suitable means, which could be either hardware and/or software, for reading the information from the DVD disk and sending this information onto the network to a specified device and in a format defined by the source device. The sink device is equipped with suitable means, which could be either hardware and/or software to receive information addressed specifically to the sink device, and to display this received information onto its screen. This all implies that if the source device knows the unique ID of the sink device, then a play command on the source device would result in displaying the DVD content on the screen of the sink device. [0006] In general it can be a difficult and time-consuming process setting up network communication between a first and a second device in a communication network. These difficulties relate both to the process of identifying the ID of the second device and to the process of entering the ID of the second device in the first device. [0007] EP 0939571 describes a method for setting up secure communication between a mobile terminal and an access node in a radio communication network. Here a secret communication key is shared between the mobile terminal and the access node. This also describes a very complex method of setting up a connection between two devices, since secret keys have to be shared before the connection can established. [0008] It is an object of the invention to obtain a solution to the problems described above. [0009] According to the present invention this is obtained by a system to be used for setting up a communication connection between a number of communication devices across a communication network, said system comprises a similar number of identification means in which the same unique communication identifier is embedded, said communication identifier at least being unique on the communication network on which the communication connection is to be set up. Thereby, communication connections can easily be established without the user having to manually identify communication devices, being part of communication connections, for each other. [0010] In an embodiment at least one of said number of identification means is comprised in a plug enabled to be connected to at least one of said number of communication devices and wherein at least one of said number of communication devices comprises means for reading the identifier embedded in said identification means. Thereby, a communication device could be sold together with a number of plugs and by just plugging these plugs into other communication devices network connections are easily established without involving the user in the task of manually identifying the communication devices for each other. Further, the network connections could easily be modified by moving the plugs to other communication devices, inserting more plugs having the same unique identifier or exchanging plugs with other plugs whereby the communication device could be used in other network connections. [0011] In a specific embodiment, at least one of said number of identification means is comprised in at least one of said number of communication devices. Thereby, a communication device is specifically intended for use with specific other identification means having the same unique identifier as the identification means included in the communication device. The other identification means could be for example a number of plugs sold with the communication device. [0012] In an embodiment, it is a system to be used for setting up a communication connection between a first and a second communication device, comprising first and second identification means in which the same unique communication identifier is embedded. This could e.g. be a pair of devices being sold together, such as a wireless telephone comprising a telephone handle and a docking station. [0013] In another embodiment, the information to be communicated on the communication connection is information stored on a storage device, where the second communication device comprises means for reading the information from said storage device and wherein said first communication device comprises means for processing said information. Then, the second communication device could e.g. be a DVD device or a CD device communicating with devices such as a display or an amplifier. [0014] In another embodiment, the information to be communicated on the communication connection is data that has been received by the second communication device, where the second communication device comprises means for performing a first processing of the received data and wherein said first communication device comprises means for performing a second processing of said information. Then, the second communication device could e.g. be a television receiver or a tuner communicating with devices such as a display or an amplifier. [0015] The invention also comprises a method for setting up a communication connection between a number of communication devices across a communication network, wherein said number of communication devices each comprise identification means in which the same unique communication identifier is embedded, said identifier being unique on the communication network on which the communication connection is to be set up, said connection being set up between the communication devices comprising corresponding communication identifiers. [0016] The connection could e.g. be set up using a registry in which the type of device is registered on the communication connection; then a communication device such as a DVD could find out which devices provide display services and ask these devices for their attributes including the unique communication identifier. In general, a communication identifier could be send to the other devices on the network and receive the acknowledgement from communication devices having corresponding communication identifiers. A communication device could also ask for the unique communication identifier of the other communication devices present on the network and then set up the connection to other communication devices having corresponding identifiers. Further, a third party, like a central controller holding the registry of devices and thereby the unique communication identifiers could also do the matching and handle the setting up of the communication connection. [0017] A method of setting up a connection between devices could be by identifying a connection device to the other communication devices, which is to be part of the network connection identified by the unique communication identifier and thereby setting up the connection. [0018] The method could also be used for setting up a connection on a network like e.g. IEEE 1394 having predefined channels being used for data. In this case, the information is not addressed to a destination, but send onto a broadcast channel, where all other devices may listen on. In this case, the communication devices involved should determine the channel to be used. This could be done by setting up a control connection and then finding a channel they can share or by using the plug and execute an equal algorithm at both sides that uniquely would identify the channel, without any kind of control communication. In this case, the unique ID could e.g. be the channel id. [0019] In a specific embodiment, the invention relates to a method for a first communication device to set up a connection to a second communication device across a communication network, wherein the first and the second communication device comprise first and second identification means in which the same unique communication identifier is embedded, said identifier being unique on the communication network on which the communication connection is to be set up, said method comprises the steps of: [0020] reading the unique communication identifier from said first identification means, [0021] transmitting an identification signal on the communication network, said identification signal comprising the unique identifier together with a network address being unique for said first communication device, [0022] receiving acknowledge information from said second communication device, said second communication device being adapted for receiving the identification signal, checking if the unique communication identifier comprised in the identification signal corresponds to the unique communication identifier comprised in said second identification means and transmitting said acknowledge information if the unique identifiers are corresponding. [0023] Thereby, a connection between two devices can be easily established in a simple and fast way. [0024] In a specific embodiment, the acknowledge information from said second communication device to said first communication device comprises information defining the type of data which will be transmitted from the second communication device after the communication connection has been set up. Thereby, it is assured that the type of data is a mutually recognized structure, such as either MPEG2 or DVCAM or both. Continue reading about Setting up a communication connection using an embedded unique communication identifier... 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